Zero rough sleepers in Loughborough

The aim of the count is to establish a clearer picture of the number of rough sleepers and it follows guidelines set by Homeless Link, a charity which works with organisations involved in supporting homeless people. A verifier from the charity attended the count.

ZERO rough sleepers were found in Loughborough following a count by Charnwood Borough Council.

The count was carried out during the early hours of Wednesday, November 22 by council staff and volunteers as they checked 46 locations in Loughborough, Syston and Barrow-upon-Soar where rough sleeping had been reported in the past two years.

The council said that no-one was found sleeping rough, but two tents were found in a car park off Ashby Road in Loughborough, indicating people had been sleeping there.

The aim of the count is to establish a clearer picture of the number of rough sleepers and it follows guidelines set by Homeless Link, a charity which works with organisations involved in supporting homeless people. A verifier from the charity attended the count.

Charnwood Borough Council told the Echo the estimates for the number of rough sleepers in previous years is as follows: Two in 2011/12, three in 2012/13, four in 2013/14, four in 2014/15, three in 2015/16 and one last year.

Support available to rough sleepers in Charnwood includes The Bridge’s homelessness transitions team - which provides intensive one-to-one support to anyone aged 18 or over who is sleeping rough to help them access and sustain accommodation, and the No Second Night Out scheme.

This scheme provides somewhere for rough sleepers to stay while the homelessness transitions team help them to secure longer-term accommodation.

Paul Snape from The Bridge homeless charity told the Echo that because the count is only taken on one night that it doesn’t necessarily show the extent of rough sleeping in the area.

He said: “Because it is only a snapshot of rough sleeping in the area then it doesn’t always show the true extent of it.

“We found two tents but there was no-one there at the time so we couldn’t include anyone in the count. Our intelligence and front line work perhaps provides a more accurate picture”

“I do think that some of the new support systems we have in place including our joint work with Charnwood Borough Council have helped us to reduce the number of rough sleepers. This includes the successful work of the multi-agency homeless transitions team and the No Second Night Out programme.”

Alison Simmons, head of strategic and private sector housing at the council, said: “I’d like to thank all our partner agencies and volunteers for their support and I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage people to get in touch with us if they suspect someone is sleeping rough.”

Coun Paul Mercer, lead member for housing told the Echo: “This shows, first, that our policy on dealing with the sharp end of homelessness is working and it is to the credit of those organisations, such as the Bridge and the police, that genuine rough sleepers are identified quickly and offered secure accommodation.

“Secondly, it again reveals that the apparent rough sleepers that we see occasionally in Loughborough are in fact professional beggars who are using their sleeping bag as a prop to attract donations from members of the public.”

The council said that if you are worried about someone who may be sleeping rough in Charnwood please call the housing options team on 01509 634567 or email housing@charnwood.gov.uk.